Fabric currycomb



July 11, 1967 5 KANBAR ET AL FABRI C CURRYCOMB Filed 00 1:. 15, 1964 INVENTORS Waive: 6. MBA

United States Patent 3,330,077 FABRIC CURRYCOMB Maurice S. Kanbar and Malcolm Foster, New York, N.Y., assignors to Oak Hill Industries Corp., New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Oct. 15, 1964, Ser. No. 404,107 1 Claim. (Cl. 51205) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A currycomb for removing pills from fabric material, and constituted by a unitary molded plastic body, one end portion of which is shaped to provide a handle, the other end portion having a rounded surface with a multicellular configuration, each cell being defined by ridges having a layer of abrasive particles bonded thereto to hook said pills as the currycomb is drawn across the fabric material.

This invention relates generally to devices for removing fibrous pills from the surface of fabrics, and more particularly to a fabric currycomb having ridged surfaces covered with abrasive material adapted to catch and remove the pills without injury to the underlying fabric.

Pilling refers to the formation of fuzzy balls on a fabric surface caused by the rubbing of loose ends of the fibers too long and strong to break away. When a soft-spun yarn is woven or knitted, the resultant fabric has a soft hand caused by the protrusion of many of the fibers from the surface of the fabric. Such fabrics, which are widely used in sweaters and in other forms of apparel, tend with wear to cause interlocking of the longer fibers, thereby producing unsightly pills.

To avoid the need to pick off the pills manually one by one from the fabric, various forms of pill-removing devices have been developed to carry out this function more efiiciently. While such devices have been more or less effective, they are relatively complicated in design and costly to manufacture.

Accordingly, it is the main object of this invention to provide a fabric currycomb of exceptionally simple design which acts effectively to remove pills from a fabric Without injury thereto.

More specifically, it is an object of the invention to provide a unitary currycomb having ridged areas coated with abrasive material, the particulate surfaces of the abrasive being protectively coated to reduce the sharpness thereof, whereby the pills are caught and held in the ridges whereas the underlying fabric is unaffected.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a onepiece fabric currycomb which may be molded of plastic material and manufactured and sold at low cost.

For a better understanding of the invention as well as other objects and further features thereof, reference is made to the following detailed specification to be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 in perspective shows one form of fabric currycomb in accordance with the invention, having a multicellular ridged section;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the currycomb, partially in section;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary plan view of the ridged section of the currycomb;

FIG. 4, in enlarged perspective form, shows a fabric pill entrapped in a cell of the ridged section;

FIG. 5 shows an alternative form of ridged section;

FIG. 6 shows the basic configuration of still another form of ridged section;

FIG. 7 is a pictorial view of the currycomb illustrating its operation; and

Patented July 11, 1967 FIG. 8 shows in perspective another embodiment of the invention.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 to 4, the fabric ciirrycomb is formed of a one-piece molded body having a generally rectangular form, the ends of the body being rounded and the central area being concave on either side to form a handle section 10 and a comb section 11 integral therewith. While in simplest form this body may be molded of any suitable thermoplastic or thermosetting resin, it can also be made of cast metal such as aluminum.

The comb section 11 is so molded as to have a multicellular or waffle-like configuration throughout an area having a U-shaped section. Thus the arcuate bottom and arcuate sides of the comb section are formed with an array of rectangular cells 13 having ridge-like walls 14. The ridges 14 ofthe cells are covered with abrasive particulates 15, such as aluminum oxide or silicon carbide particles having a grit size of approximately 120.

These particles are secured to the surfaces of the ridges by an epoxy resin or other suitable bonding agent. In practice, each ridge is of tapered construction, the maximum thickness at the base of the cell being less than oneeighth of an inch. The spacing between ridges is about A: of an inch, hence each cell constitutes a tiny gripping pocket or snare whose abrasive covering tends to catch the fibers of a pill engaging the cell. 1

The abrasive particles ordinarily have sharp edges which tend to hook the underlying fabric as Well as the pills on the surface thereof. In order to dull these edges to an extent sufficient to prevent hooking of the fabric but insufiicient to impair the pill catching action, the sharp edges are rounded ofl somewhat. This is accomplished by coating the abrasive particles with a lacquer, shellac or paint. This protective coating material may be applied by spraying, dipping or any other known method.

In practice, as shown in FIG, 7, the handle section 10 of the currycomb is held by the fingers of the user who runs the comb over the surface of a fabric F having pills 16 thereon. The fabric may be a soft-spun wool, cotton, cashmere, or any fabric made of synthetic fibers, such as nylon, Orlon, etc. The pills 16, which are generally spherical in form, tend to adhere to the fabric F in that the fibers of the pills are intertwined with those of the fabric. Hence the pills cannot be blown or brushed off the fabric, but must be positively gripped to effect removal. When the currycomb is run over the pills, the pills are forced into the multi-cellular pockets on the work section 11 and are caught therein by the hooked and jagged surfaces of the abrasive particles.

Thus as the comb is brushed across the fabric, the pills are withdrawn from the fabric and caught in the comb. After the comb is utilized, the pills are lined along the comb and may readily be removed therefrom to clean the comb for further use.

While a waffie-like configuration affords excellent results, the invention is not limited thereto, and it is possible effectively to remove pills by means of parallel ridges 17 having a triangular configuration, as shown in FIG. 5, or by the use of ridges 18 having an arched configuration, the upper surface of the ridges being sinuous, as shown in FIG. 6. In either case, the ridges are covered with abrasive particles having jagged surfaces to hook the pills.

In simplest form, particularly if the comb is cast out of metal, the ridged section thereof may be blasted or otherwise processed to impart a roughened surface to the ridges, whereby a hooking action can be obtained without the use of abrasive-s.

In practice, the use of the currycomb improves the fabric being treated. As noted previously, with wear the longer fibers in the pile tend to interlock, causing a fibrous ball to be formed. After the pills are removed, the longer fibers are eliminated and all that remains, particularly after frequent combing, is -a uniform pile with relatively few long fibers. This then renders the pile pill-resistant.

In FIG. 8, another version of the same invention is shown wherein, instead of a rectangular body shaped into a work section and a handle section, the plastic is molded into a rod-like work section 19 having an oval crosssectional configuration and a curved rod-like handle 20 extending from the end of the work section, The work section is serrated or made grid-like and is provided with pill catching surfaces in the manner described in connection with the other figures.

While there have been shown preferred embodiments of fabric currycomb in accordance with the invention, it will be appreciated that many changes and modifications may be made therein without, however, departing from the essential spirit of the invention as defined in the annexed claim.

What we claim is:

A currycomb for removing pills from a fabric, said currycomb comprising,

(a) a unitary molded synthetic plastic body having a generally rectangular form,

(b) the ends of said body being convexly rounded and the central portion thereof being concavely shaped on either side to define a handle section and a work section having an arcuate bottom and a pair of arcuate sides, i

(c) the surface of said work section having a uniform array of indentations therein to form a multi-cellular structure each cell of which is defined by ridges which taper toward said surface, the outermost portion of the ridges defining a smooth, convex curve,

((1) a layer of abrasive particles bonded to said tapered ridges to hook said pills when said currycomb is drawn across the surface of a fabric, and

(e) a protective coating on said layer to round the sharp edges of said particles to prevent damage to the fabric.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,401,719 12/1921 Myers 26-28 2,755,607 7/1956 'Haywood 51-395 2,934,810 5/1960 Kanbar 2628 3,157,973 11/1964 Chattillion 51392 ROBERT c. RIORDON, Primary Eraminer.

D. G. KELLY, Assistant Examiner. 

